Participatory decision-making strategies have been suggested as effective in groups with the task of solving unstructured problems or creating innovations. Concerned about evaluating children's affective growth in open classrooms, eight educators in a large metropolitan area agreed to meet regularly after school hours to develop an instrument to…

Practical, classroom-tested ideas for developing classroom learning centers are presented in this book. The sixteen chapters deal with the following topics: an overview of learning centers and individualization, basic considerations in setting up a learning center, getting started, mechanics of operating learning centers, room arrangement and…

The relative achievement and appeal effectiveness of a multimedia nontraditional course with open learning adult learners and on-campus students were examined in this study of a University of Mid-America course. Focus was on (1) the achievement and appeal effects, with on-campus students employing or omitting the television component in the…

This report documents the conduct and results of activities to evaluate the first offering of The Consumer Experience to adult learners through the State University of Nebraska (SUN). A project of the University of Nebraska, SUN is a nontraditional, open learning program designed to extend postsecondary educational opportunities to persons who…

This autobiographical essay depicts a process of development through which an elementary school teacher becomes both expert and professional. With an MA in Medieval History and no teacher education coursework, the writer adopts a personalistic, "unorthodox traditional" approach to instruction. Exposure to controversy among…

This handbook is designed to help administrators, educators, politicans, and others engaged in distance education who seek to introduce, extend, or improve correspondence education for adults. In the first of six chapters, the background and history of correspondence study, particularly in Britain and the United States, are reviewed. Chapter 2…

This volume presents papers given at the Seventh Annual Conference on Reading of the North Carolina Council of the International Reading Association. General-session addresses include "Reading: The Fassport to the 80s" by Lewis C. Dowdy, "Developing the Habit of Reading Success" by William K. Durr, "Neither Simple-Minded nor Muddle-Headed Be" by…

The research compares two open education programs in New York City (one in a private school, one a public school) from 1970 to 1976. Both programs stressed decentralization of the classroom into interest areas, individually created learning materials, and participation by children in decisions regarding use of time and space. The purpose of the…

Designed to provide a general guide and stimuli for lifelong learning, this book examines all the positive factors of independent study. Lifelong learning is defined as self-directed growth free from the traditional schooling procedures. Chapters discuss the following: the lifelong learner; profiles of such learners in action; how to be…

This study is concerned with analyzing the effects of classroom environment on students' achievement and perceptions of their learning environment. The learning environment was analyzed from the perspectives of teachers, students, and principals. The sample included one class from each of 25 elementary schools, including architecturally open…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the differences between exploratory children and cautious children as they functioned in open classrooms over a period of time and to document some general aspects of child behavior in open educational settings. Sixty children were observed through the course of the school year in their first grade open…

This paper summarizes the results of a participant observation study conducted on two public alternative high schools in the St. Louis, Missouri metropolitan area. Phase I of the study consists of a literature-generated delineation of larger societal factors which create student unrest and give impetus to the development of alternative schools.…

A summer happening for children was organized and analyzed according to the ideas that educational accountability means that the system of education should provide both data and information about the educational process and examine educational outcomes. A major goal of the program was to generate an awareness for first year participants of the…

Marcy Open School has developed an educational reality where students are given freedom to be creative within a structured curriculum. Reflective of this philosophy are the three priority goals developed by Marcy staff and parents which are: (1) We want girls and boys to speak, listen, write, read, and deal with mathematical concepts effectively…

This report describes 11 pilot projects which were initiated by the Connecticut Joint Teacher Education Committee (JTEC). The JTEC, which was created to administer two Public Acts established in 1968, consists of members of the Commission for Higher Education and members of the State Board of Education. The two Public Acts provide funds to…